The 18-day gap between the Chelsea and the Stoke fixtures was seen as dangerous territory for the manager, but Newcastle nipped that speculation in the bud – despite losing 5-1 at Chelsea in a performance which was unacceptable.

I can understand why Newcastle are showing that loyalty. As a chairman it is a very hard decision to scrap everything that one man has been working on all season, and there is never a guarantee that someone coming into the club is going to do better than his predecessor. Newcastle will be thinking: ‘Let’s back McClaren, let’s give him time.’

But that doesn’t mean I agree with it.

I’ve heard it said that it’s too late to change now that January is finished and Newcastle can’t bring any players in, but that’s rubbish. Ten games is more than enough for a manager to come in and get a reaction and to change things around. Even if there were eight or nine there could be improvements and things put in place to improve the team.

I don’t subscribe to the idea that McClaren has a difficult job in getting Newcastle out of trouble – and I don’t think many managers would turn down the opportunity at United given everything that is in their favour.

They’re in the bottom three but they have unbelievable quality in that dressing room, and they have the games that you’d wish for if you were coming into a club. It’s very achievable to drag the club clear of relegation.

Newcastle vs Lillestrom - Steve McClaren (Image: Pascu Mendez)

I think what Newcastle are missing at the moment is a manager. They have opted to go for someone who is a very good coach and you can see that he has improved things on that score. At times the team are playing decent football and the overall quality of their performances has probably stepped up since last season.

But their decision-making is as bad as it has been for a few years, and I think that’s where someone who is a manager – maybe a man-manager – comes into it.

I think McClaren is a first-class coach but I have doubts over the other things. Too many of the same mistakes are happening to be happy with the progression this season. It’s relatively easy to be a coach, but it’s much harder to manage really, really well.

A lot of other clubs would have changed by now. Newcastle are taking a big gamble in sticking with it.